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Indian diaspora in the UK grows, shows strong socio-economic indicators: Report
72 percent of British Indians are employed or self-employed, the highest employment rate among all ethnic groups, the report states.
The report is titled “A Portrait of Modern Britain: Ethnicity and Religion” / Facebook/ Policy Exchange
A new report by a British think tank, Policy Exchange, says Indian-origin settlers in that country lead all ethnic minority groups on all socio-eonomic and developmental parameters, often doing as better, if not more, than the resident white population.
The report is titled “A Portrait of Modern Britain: Ethnicity and Religion” and provides an analysis of the ethnic diversity in the UK, highlighting key trends among Indian-origin residents, who, it says, continue to play a significant role in shaping modern Britain.
It casts a key focus on the demographic and socio-economic conditions of ethnic groups based on the 2021 Census and other data sources.
According to the report, the percentage of residents across England and Wales who belong to the broad Asian category has risen from 7.5 percent in 2011 to 9.3 percent in 2021, amounting to 5.5 million people. The largest Asian ethnic group in the UK is those of Indian origin, whose population grew from 2.5 percent to 3.1 percent of the overall population, increasing from 1.4 million to 1.9 million people over the decade. Leicester, in the East Midlands, has the highest concentration of Indian-origin residents, where 34.3 percent of the population identifies as Indian, with one in six residents born in India.
The report underscores the strong socio-economic performance of British Indians. "British citizens of Indian heritage rank highly across socio-economic indicators, including home ownership, employment, and professional occupations," the report states. Indian-origin individuals have the highest level of home ownership, with 71 percent living in properties owned outright, through mortgages, or shared ownership. Furthermore, 72 percent of British Indians are employed or self-employed, the highest employment rate among all ethnic groups.
Indian-origin workers also lead in professional occupations, with nearly 40 percent of them working in such roles. In comparison, the corresponding figure for the merged Pakistani-Bangladeshi group is just 21.9 percent, underscoring differences in the levels of socio-economic integration within South Asian communities in the UK.
Infographics. / Policy ExchangeWhile the report identifies significant educational integration among ethnic minorities, it notes that this has not always led to equal labour market outcomes for all groups. However, Indian-origin citizens outperform the white-British mainstream in several metrics, such as professional occupation rates, average hourly pay, and home ownership.
Political trends among Indian-origin Britons are also evolving, as the report notes an intriguing shift in voting behaviour. "Highly educated Indian Hindus are increasingly moving away from traditional Labour loyalties," the report highlights. This contrasts with the broader trend of Britain’s graduate classes leaning leftward, as well as the working-class Caribbean voters, who remain strongly aligned with left-wing parties.
The report also touches on the role of ethnic and religious communities in shaping the UK's foreign policy debates. It mentions the publication of the 'Hindu manifesto' by Hindus for Democracy, which called for the proscription of individuals attacking India's sovereignty. Simultaneously, the 'Sikh manifesto' demanded that the UK challenge India's stance on self-determination at the United Nations. Such demands have brought religiously motivated foreign policy grievances to the forefront of British politics.
On the sense of identity, the report reveals that while 40 percent of the general population reports a strong “sense of Britishness”, the figure is lower among ethnic minorities. However, among Indian-origin respondents, 33 percent expressed a high sense of Britishness, making them, alongside Black Caribbean respondents, the most likely to identify strongly with Britain.
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